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Nuggets pull away from Warriors

Denver wins fifth in a row with strong fourth quarter

By Christopher Dempsey The Denver Post

Posted:
01/13/2013 10:57:06 PM MST

Updated:
01/13/2013 10:57:41 PM MST

Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson, left, is defended by Golden State Warriors forward David Lee, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, in Denver. The Nuggets won 116-105. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
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Chris Schneider
)

DENVER -- Suddenly, the fourth quarter has become the Nuggets' quarter.

Whether they slosh through the first three quarters or play well from the start and find themselves in a tight contest, the fourth has been the separation quarter for this team, trying to hit its stride this month.

The Nuggets outscored Golden State 37-18 in the fourth quarter on Sunday night to make a tough game look like a very easy 116-105 win at the Pepsi Center. It was the Nuggets' season-high fifth consecutive victory.

So what's different in the fourth?

"Urgency and desperation and professional pride," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

The Nuggets turn up the defense and shift the offense into overdrive in the final period. During this five-game winning streak, they've outscored their opponents 151-102 in the fourth, an average of 30.2 points to 20.4.

"I feel like we're most focused in the fourth quarter for some reason," center JaVale McGee said. "I don't know why. I feel like we take the first half for granted, but we really go hard in the fourth quarter."

Sunday, the Nuggets shot 14-of-20 in the fourth, made 7-of-9 free throws and outrebounded Golden State -- one of the NBA's better road teams -- 11-7 in the final frame. Danilo Gallinari scored eight of his team-high 21 points in the fourth, but it was the Nuggets' bench that did the most damage.

Corey Brewer had nine of his 13 points in the fourth and Andre Miller scored eight of his 12 in the fourth.

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The Nuggets' bench scored 22 points in the final period, more than their own starters and more than Golden State scored as a team.

"They're a great scoring team, but their legs started to go (in the fourth), and that really helped us," Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried said.

The Nuggets used an 18-2 run spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter to make an 87-79 deficit an 97-89 lead with 7:54 left. All that was needed from there was maintenance.

There weren't too many scenarios entering the season that would have had the Nuggets going into their fourth -- and final -- game against Golden State this season hoping to catch it in the Western Conference standings. And yet, on Sunday, that's where the Nuggets were, looking up at Golden State and talking pregame about collecting a possible tiebreaker against a team pretty much no one outside of Oakland thought would be in this position.

The Nuggets, who won the season series 3-1, are 5-1 at home in January, bringing their overall record at the Pepsi Center to 14-2. Beating Golden State -- a team that entered the game fifth in the Western Conference -- pushed the Nuggets record to 11-10 against winning teams.

Ty Lawson and Gallinari combined for 41 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. They were the engine that powered the team, whether it was Lawson constantly getting into the lane, or Gallinari hitting 3-pointers.

But the Nuggets had to survive hot shooting Stephen Curry to get the win. Curry hit 3-pointer after 3-pointer on his way to 21 first-half points. The Nuggets trapping defense held him to eight points in the second.

"They are a quality basketball team, they're playing at a high level," Karl said. "My feeling right now is this is a really good win for us."

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